Thursday 10 March 2011

Weave Maintenance

How to maintain your weave

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One of the biggest topics for just about any weave wearer, is how to keep the good stuff looking good whilst maintaining a great standard of hair care. The common misconception is that maintaining a weave is very complex. However having been a frequent enough weave wearer, I know it doesn't have to be
I won't say that rocking a weave is easy because we all know.... weave wearing can be as messy as wearing stilettos with two left feet. Truth is....

when rocking your weave you:
- have limited access to your actual hair (especially if rocking a full head weave)
- tend to want to straighten your hair (if some is out) so that it looks like the weave
- wonder how you can moisturize and seal whilst wearing a weave 
- steer away from oiling your scalp because you don't want to ruin the good old indian or brazilian hair


So... the real question at hand i guess is how to maintain a weave if you are stretching your relaxer, and/or simply using weave as a means of protective styling?


Here are a few things to keep in mind


1- You can still wash your hair at least once every 2/3 weeks. Though u may be worried about ruining your   weave, it wont! Or should i say with a good weave shouldn't. Smelly weave due to lack of washing, product build up and straighteners isn't cute. Bacteria build up can reduce your hair growth rate.
For easy shampooing you can dilute your shampoo with water and apply it to your scalp using an applicator bottle. This allows easier access to your scalp whereby you can then do a general head massage on the top of the weave and then rinse. You can also do the same with your conditioner. Be sure to rinse thoroughly so that no product is left behind as this can harden and cause problems.

2- You can still feed your scalp when rocking a weave. All you have to do is invest in some hair clips to hold your hair in the right position so that it steers clear away from oils. Castor oil on your scalp and weave is a magical combination

3- Scalp massage. You can still do this! Of course its a pain especially with a full head weave, but it can still be done. Even if you've oiled your scalp and then massage the weave, you are still massaging, and your scalp will be stimulated.

4- For those who have to straighten some of their own hair, always remember to use heat protectant. Also to avoid having to straighten several times in between washes, try and wrap your straightened hair. If on the other hand your weave is curly, you can also create curls (on your own hair) without heat, by using rollers, pin curls, flexi rods, curlformers etc

5- Having your cornrows braided horizontally works better than vertically. Vertical cornrows make the whole weave system almost like a game of noughts and crosses. You can barely fit your fingers anywhere!

6- If you want to go the extra mile with your weave regime and find time to do this (even if it isn't everyday), it would be a great idea to moisturize and seal when wearing a weave. Despite the fact that your hair has been cornrowed with extensions, you can still add a moisturising spritz to each cornrow and then seal the cornrow with oil. This will require more time however will keep your hair moisturized and super protected. This works best if you intend on washing your weave, otherwise you will experience product build up.


7- Avoid weaving freshly relaxed hair, too many people do this and forget that this is when your hair is extremely fragile and weak. A week or 2 later is much better than straight away.


8- If you do decide to wear weave using the bonging glue method, only do this if you are 100% sure that it is being applied and removed in a professional way. Otherwise this method can be extremely damaging to your hair. I would not recommend using glue at all!

Weave advantages:
+ it is a protective style
+ less manipulation in the long run because you cannot comb your hair everyday
+ hair is not so exposed. e.g strands are tucked away
+ more of your hair is close to your scalp which means closer to warmth. Hair grows faster in warmer temperatures.

Weave disadvantages:
- its is initially quite stressful on your hair. This is usually at least for a few days when the braids feel tight
- you tend to want to straighten your left out hair in order to suit up with the weave (heat damage)
- washing and/or moisturizing and sealing seem to require to much effort
- when you take your hair out you seem to lose quite a bit of hair (however note, this is because your hair has shedded during the period of the initial wearing of the weave to the weave removal. Therefore this is hair you would have shedded if your hair was left out and without weave).


P.s I'll officially be rocking my stretch weave in 2 weeks time! All the way till November. I'm going to have it re-done more than once of course! Look forward to showing you :)

x edF

15 comments:

  1. I've been waiting for this! Pls can u post pics of your weave, and also suggestions on how to cornrow the tracks to avoid hair breakage at the front?

    Thanks! xx

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  2. I will defo post pics :) I get my hair done on the 25th! As for cornrows i would say you just have to be careful not to cornrow every single hair e.g baby hairs which are more susceptible to easy breakage. All in all front hair breaks faster because it is exposed and manipulated more than hair in the middle of your head. Applying castor oil will soothe your scalp and promote hair growth :)

    xxx hope this helps :)

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  3. What about Synthetic Weaves ?

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    Replies
    1. Hi anon - can you be more specific please :) What exactly would you like to know :)

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    2. What can I use on curly kanekalon weave that will keep it looking great and shiny without looking matted?

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  4. how often did you get your weave redone? Can it be damaging to go that long if you dont properly moisturize?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It can definitely be damaging if you don't look after your hair underneath. Every head of hair differs but my hair needs moisture to stay healthy whilst in a weave :) I had it redone once every 7-8 weeks with a 2 week break before the next install

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  5. I heard that synthetic hair sucks the miosture out of your hair so its best not to use it.
    I have been wearing (Somewhat) full haed weaves (U-part) for like 2 yrs now. The part that i leave out is short and it bothers me alot but ill take car of that when the winter comes.
    My hair grew ALOT, However alot of it broke off because i strecthed my relaxer too long.
    But it helps with hair growth and does make life a little easier.
    But i always try to put my hair health first, I will NEVER DYE MY HAIR TO MATCH A WEAVE. EVER.

    But I like your article and agree with you about glue. Ive never used it and never will. Ha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you for sharing :) Yes glue is a no no for me! Stretching is a delicate time, I'm sure you'd know how to handle it now after your experiences :)

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  6. i have a 3 track weave using remy hair. i am white, only saying this as wer have different hair to black ladies. and my weave itches so much, i havnt got a clue what to use on it to stop it itching if anything can be used. i always try to wash my shampoo and conditioner out fully. but it is driving me mad, i so dont want to take them out, i love my weaves they are addictive, can anyone help
    thanks x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try a dry shampoo. It's a shampoo that doesn't require water as you probably already know. Beauty supplies and stores like walgreens, target, etc carry this product. Tresemme, dove and a number of other manufacturers make this product. It should minimize the itchiness and limit excessive oil (build-up). Good luck!

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    2. thanks anon, yes thats an option, perhaps the plaits are too tight also, tis is the main reason for itching for me with weave. Keep us updated on how things work out x

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  7. Hi I have a cuticle remy straight almost full are in and it is my first time wearing a weave. I am more so worried about the health of my natural hair . It is virgin hair that is in a bob cut that I am trying to grow out. I am used to washing my natural hair every 4-5 days because it gets greasy really fast which is why I am attempting to let the oil build up under my sew-in. Is it a good idea to get a hot oil treatment on weave? And also I'm afraid to do this but how would About washing my real hair . It itches soooooo bad �� .

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Faith. I would say if your hair is itching that badly you may need to take the weave out to give your Hair some air, or indeed try a wash and see if this helps. Please make sure that you thoroughly rinse out the shampoo though so you do not end up with product build up or mildew. As for hot oil treatments I have never tried this on a weave as I think getting the oil out and not having product build up would be difficult, especially if immersing your hair and weave in Oil. Have you considered adding menthol like products to a Hair oil to help you sooth the itching? E.g adding some Eucalyptus Oil or Peppermint Oil to your Hair oil (if you use one) ? Let me know how it's going hun, sorry for the late response x

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  9. hi
    i have a remy straight weave. its the first time that i have this type of weave on. the thing that worries me is that my weave is always frizzy so i have it tied up most of the time. I am not sure what to do. please advise

    Thanks
    Kate

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x Fi